Adjacent Words

Nugatory definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

NU'GATORY, a.
1. Trifling; vain; futile; insignificant.
2. Of no force; inoperative; ineffectual. The laws are sometimes rendered nugatory by inexecution. Any agreement may be rendered nugatory by something which contravenes its execution.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: of no real value; "a nugatory law"

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Latin nugatorius, from nugari to trifle, from nugae trifles Date: 1603 1. of little or no consequence ; trifling, inconsequential 2. having no force ; inoperative Synonyms: see vain

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 futile, trifling, worthless. 2 inoperative; not valid. Etymology: L nugatorius f. nugari to trifle f. nugae jests

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Nugatory Nu"ga*to*ry, a. [L. nugatorius, fr. nugari to trifle, nugae jests, trifles.] 1. Trifling; vain; futile; insignificant. 2. Of no force; inoperative; ineffectual. If all are pardoned, and pardoned as a mere act of clemency, the very substance of government is made nugatory. --I. Taylor.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Trifling, futile, vain, insignificant, trivial, frivolous, worthless. 2. Inoperative, ineffectual, inefficacious, unavailing, useless, bootless, null, to no purpose.

Moby Thesaurus

NG, airy, asinine, barren, bootless, catchpenny, cheap, counterproductive, effete, empty, etiolated, fatuitous, fatuous, feckless, flimsy, foolish, fribble, fribbling, frivolous, frothy, fruitless, futile, good-for-naught, good-for-nothing, hollow, idle, inadequate, inane, ineffective, ineffectual, inefficacious, inoperative, invalid, junk, junky, light, no-account, no-good, not worth having, not worth mentioning, not worthwhile, nugacious, of no force, otiose, shabby, shallow, shoddy, silly, slender, slight, sterile, superficial, trashy, trifling, trite, trivial, unavailing, useless, vacuous, vain, valueless, vapid, windy, worthless